2000 Mercedes-Benz S-Class...Continued

Major Options: Coming soon is another high-tech feature, the world's first smart cruise control system, which can automatically maintain a pre-set distance behind the car in front with the help of a radar sensor. While the optional smart cruise control (available in September, 1999) can vary the accelerator like conventional cruise control, it can also maintain the desired following distance -- even by applying partial braking automatically if needed. An LCD diagram in the center of the speedometer, graphically depicting two vehicles, shows what's happening.

Buyer Demos: Mercedes vice president of marketing, Joe Eberhardt, told the group at the press event in Phoenix that the new S-Class is expected to expand the traditional Mercedes owner base to include younger, highly successful, affluent buyers. He said he also expects the car will lower the average age of the buyer from 56 to 50. Eberhardt said the S-Class should increase the number of female buyers from the present 23 percent to an anticipated 30 percent.

We Looked At:

Roominess And Comfort: While the new S-Class is three inches shorter in length, and also reduced in height and width, it remains one of the roomiest cars in the world, In fact, rear legroom has been increased by nearly an inch over the previous model. And talk about comfort! Lush leather upholstery is standard in both models, with the S500 being just a bit more sumptuous because of its softer Napa leather. There's another minor difference in creature comforts in the two S-Class sedans. The lumbar support in the S430 has a five-position power inflation adjustment, while the S500 gets infinitely adjustable upper and lower power lumbar support with a pulse feature. By the way, the S430 interior is trimmed in caramel-toned eucalyptus wood, while the S500 gets the boardroom treatment in darker burl walnut. The dual-zone automatic climate controls for those in the front worked beautifully in both cars, and while this writer did not ride in the huge, living room-sized back seat, you can be sure the climate was well-controlled back there also.

Driving Position: Hallelujah! The power seat adjustments (14-way adjustment, at that) are on the door, not on the side of seat where so many automakers hide them. And to make them even easier to use, the controls are shaped like the seat components they adjust. The power tilt-telescoping steering wheel further fine-tunes the perfect driving position. In addition, the two-person memory-position feature on the S-Class takes into account not only the seat and steering wheel, but also the interior and exterior mirrors positions set by each driver. The exquisite design of this car offers a panoramic view of the road with no glaring blind spots.

Cargo Space: All the luxurious space in this car appears to be designed for the occupants, not their luggage. The trunk seems small for a full-size sedan. At 15.4 cubic feet, there's not much more space than in some compact-size cars.